The
Commissioner's Record of December 7th, 1829,
Charles McKINNIS, John P. HAMILTON
and Mordica HAMMOND, Commissioners,
reads: "A petition presented by sundry
citizens of Amanda and Delaware Townships,
praying for a new township, to be set off as
follows, to-wit: Number one, range
eleven, south of the base line, into a body
politic and corporate, and to be named
Jackson, which was agreed to by said Board."
At the December session of the Commissioners in 1836,
it was "ordered that an election be held in
Jackson township, to elect a Treasurer and
tree Trustees for section sixteen, on
the 20th day of December, 1836, and that
notices thereof be set up in three of the
most public places in the township, after
having been satisfied by the inhabitants of
said township, that there are twenty
electors in said township, at the usual
place of holding elections." It was
also ordered "that sections, 3, 4, 5 and 6
in township one south, range twelve, (now
Ridge township) and sections 1, 12, 13, 24,
25 and 36, in range number eleven, township
one south, (now Jackson township) be
attached in Amanda township."
Jackson township now comprises sections, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6,
7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20,
21, 22, 23, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33,
34 and 35, in township one south.
Peter GEORGE made the first entry of land in the
township on the 21st day of November, 1823,
which entry was
[Pg. 373]
the east half of the north-east quarter of
section thirty-five, (now owned by G. W.
KROUT).
Dec. 10th, 1823, Wm. GREER entered the east half
of the south-east quarter section
thirty-five, (now owned by heirs of T. G.
HAMMOND).
On the 18th of May, 1827, Mordica HAMMOND
entered the west half of north-east quarter
of section thirty-five.
David EGBERT entered the east half of north-east
quarter of section two, and in Sept. of the
same year Alpheus RALSTON entered the
south-west quarter of section seven, upon
which he soon after settled, and upon which
he still resides. In November of the
same year George BISHOP, of Franklin
County, took up the south-east quarter of
section seven. These entries were
followed by others made by Levi
WILLIAMSON, William NEWELL, John
SWANK and others.
This township was named in honor of Gen. Andrew
JACKSON, who was then President of the
United States. Its boundaries are, on
the north, Findley and Marion townships,
east by Amanda, south by Delaware and
Madison and west by Eagle.
The first white man who settled in the township, was
Judge Mordica HAMMOND, whose widow,
Mrs. Tillie HAMMOND, is, I believe,
still living. Judge HAMMOND
came here in 1827, and settled on the
Blanchard River, in section thirty-five,
there being no neighbors nearer than Mt.
Blanchard. Indeed but a very small
portion of the lands in the township had
been entered at that time. The Judge
resided upon the same tract of land at the
time of his death, which he had reclaimed
from the wilderness, and converted into a
beautiful farm.
[Pg. 374]
But Judge HAMMOND was not long without
neighbors. Peter GEORGE, Wm. GREER,
the EGBERT's, RALSTON, WILLIAMSON, NEWELL,
the MISSMORES, the TREECES,
and others quickly followed.
The timber of this part of the county is oak, elm,
walnut, beech, maple, buckeye, &c., and
heavily wooded the whole face of the
township.
The soil is rich and productive, especially so along
the water courses. The population is a
purely agricultural one, there being no
manufacturing establishments of any moment
in the township. There are many
valuable farms and beautiful farm buildings
here, and the township is one of
considerable wealth, and its people are
industrious and energetic.
The township is well watered by the Blanchard River -
which passes through from south to north -
and its tributary creeks and runs.
Wells, which are easily dug in any part of
the township, furnish a supply of good
wholesome water.
This part of the county never having had the advantage
of railroads, is comparatively new, but when
once improved, will be a beautiful part of
the country.
The first school house was built in 1832, and the first
school was taught by the now venerable
Aquilla GILBERT, Esq., of Venlue.
At the time Mr. GILBERT taught the
school there were no public school funds,
and the compensation was one dollar and
fifty cents per scholar, paid by voluntary
subscriptions. The district included
all of Jackson and Amanda townships, and if
the "school-master boarded around," as was
then the fashion, he certainly had to spread
himself over a good deal of territory.
The first church was built in 1833.
A hand mill owned by Godfrey WOLFORD, was the
first in the township, and Mr. Gilbert
says that he and Judge
[Pg. 375]
HAMMOND with whom he resided during
the winter of 1828-29, sued to go to mill
every other day to grind enough was built in
1835 by Michael MISSMORE, but as it
was propelled by water, it was rather
uncertain as a means of procuring bread.
This mill was the first frame building
erected in the township.
The market for the first settlers was Portland and
Sandusky City. But as was said by one
of the old pioneers, it made but little
difference to them where the market was, as
they had but little to sell.
Aquilla GILBERT and L. P. HAMBLIN were
the first couple married in the township,
Asa M. LAKE Esq., of Mt. Blanchard,
officiating. Capt. Dan GILBERT,
their son, and now of Vanlue, was the first
white child born here. Capt. Dan.
has grown up with the county, and
doubtless remembers with pleasure his
boyhood days, spent in clearing, and the old
log school house, long since replaced by the
neat brick or frame.
The first death was that of Mrs. Margaret WILLIAMS,
wife of an old hunter and pioneer. Her
remains were interred in what is now the Mt.
Blanchard Cemetery.
There are many fine farms and farm buildings in this
township, and it is fast becoming a wealthy
locality. The fine residences of
John DOTY, Rev. Asa ELLIS, Thompson MYERS,
David BIBLER, Geo. TREECE, Moses ELSEA, jr.,
Henry BOWERS, Alpheus RALSTON and
Peter STRUBLE, are as modern in
construction and comfortable in finish, as
any in the county. The out-buildings
on these farms are of the most convenient,
ample kind.
This township is peopled by a quiet pastoral
population. Thrifty, neighborly and
hospitable. Much attention is paid
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to the common schools, and the necessary
school buildings, and school apparatus is
provided, and competent teachers employed,
to the end that all the youth may have an
opportunity of acquiring a good common
school education.
BIOGRAPHIES:
LEVI SAMPSON
ALPHEUS RALSTON
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JOSEPH NEWELL
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GEORGE TREECE
An
election held in this township in October,
1833, there were ten votes cast.
The first company muster was held at the house of
Acquilla GILBERT, and the company -
about fifty men in all - was composed of men
from Amanda, Delaware, Richland and Jackson
Townships, under the command of Capt.
Godfrey WOLFORD and Lieutenants R. W.
HAMBLIN and Josiah ELDER.
Capt. WOLFORD having been promoted to Major, the
com-
[Pg. 379]
mand of the company devolved upon the
Lieutenants, and one who was there, has
suggested that had they been at the first
Bull Run fight, the fortunes of the day
would have been very different.
Wild game was plenty in all parts of the township, and
the hunting of it was a source of profit as
well as pleasure, and the table of the
backwoodsman was scarcely ever without a
supply of venison or bear steak, or a
squirrel pot pie.
Thee are now eight school buildings in the township,
nearly all of which are brick, and the
enumeration of youth of school age, amounts
to four hundred and seventy-one.
In 1863 a post
office was established on the road from
Findley to Mt. Blanchard, about six miles
from Findley, and called Ewing's
Corners, with Jesse
Ewing as postmaster.
The office was, however,
discontinued after about eight years.
Mr. Ewing was the only postmaster.
NORTH LIBERTY.
This village was laid out in April, 1853, by
J. F. HOUK, on the north-west part of
the west half of the north-west quarter of
section 27. Fifteen lots were platted.
In 1867 John DOUTY and A. M. HOUK made an
addition of twenty-eight lots, and in 1859
six more lots were added by Jacob HOY.
The place never assumed very large proportions or
very much importance. It never
advanced beyond a cross roads village, and
its business was entirely local, being
confined to the trade of the immediate
neighborhood. Its location is in the
midst of a rich agricultural district, but
remote from railroads.
Its business was confined to one grocery store, one
wagon shop, one blacksmith shop, one shoe
shop, one saw and
[Pg. 380]
shingle mill. There is one church and
one school building, and one physician.
The town, so far as improvements in the way
of new buildings are concerned, is at a
stand still. Population in 1880 was
one hundred and eighteen.
In 1855 or 56, a post office was established here,
under the name of Houcktown, and the
postmasters have been as follows:
Robert DAVIDSON, J. R. BABCOCK, John GARST,
Israel SAMPSON, Eli GORSUCH, John EBAUG
and David BEAGLE.
The following named persons have been elected
Justices, at the dates mentioned:
Aquilla GILBERT, 1830, 1833, 1836, 1839, 1842.
George HENRY, 1835.
Joseph TROMNEY, 1839, 1842, 1845, 1861, 1854.
Arthur RUSSELL, 1844, 1847, 1850
Charles O. MANN, 1844, 1847, 1850
Andrew W. HOUK, 1856.
John TEEMS,
1855.
D. W. ENGLE,
1857, 1863, 1866.
Joseph S. STRUBLE, 1857
James WALTEMIRE, 1859
Henry BOWERS, 1859, 1863, 1866, 1869, 1872,
1875, 1878, 1881.
Thomas WALTEMIRE,
1862
Eli J.
SELDEN, 1869, 18722, 1875, 1878.
Israel
SAMPSON, 1880, 1880
JOHN C. HOYS, 1881.
[Pg. 381]
Statistics of the number and value of live stock and
acres and and bushels of gain produced, as
reported to the Auditor of the County, in
1881.
Horses, |
547, |
number |
$75,140, |
value |
Cattle, |
1,205, |
number |
14,150, |
value |
Sheep, |
3,023, |
number |
5,995, |
value |
Hogs, |
2,137, |
number |
5,050, |
value |
Wheat, |
3,416, |
acres |
59,820, |
bushels |
Oats, |
416, |
acres |
13,270, |
bushels |
Corn, |
2,655, |
acres |
106,055, |
bushels |
Flax, |
67, |
acres |
600, |
bushels |
Hay, |
879, |
acres |
979, |
tons. |
|